Counting victories

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“If we win two of the four, we’re bowl eligible,” Friedgen said. “We’ll have to see how that plays out with the rest of the league. I think three out of four will get us to a bowl game. We’ll have to see how that goes.”\

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It might not go well. The ACC has eight bowl tie-ins, and is unlikely to ship a second team to the BCS; the lone exception would be if Boston College wins out and then loses in the ACC title game. And Maryland would probably be the ninth team to secure bowl-eligibility in the ACC.\

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So that would squeeze at least one team out, so it’s best to remember one major rule. A 6-6 team can go to the postseason so long as it is through a previously established tie-in. If there is an at-large berth floating around, a team must have a winning record to accept an invitation.\

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Don’t think that matters? Just ask Pittsburgh, Kansas, Washington State and Arizona – all those schools got to six victories and .500 last year, but couldn’t get to the postseason because their leagues ran out of berths. Do you think the Motor City Bowl wouldn’t have rather had one of those teams over a 7-5 Middle Tennessee squad?\

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So obviously, earning two more victories is paramount for the Terps. But a third – at least one which would have to come against Boston College or Florida State – could be the deal-breaker for the chance to spend a late-December week in Boise or San Francisco or Charlotte instead of in front of a TV.\